From the very moment of its foundation, St. Petersburg was preserved, created and inspired by the muses and geniuses of classical art. And it is completely natural that today, like hundreds of years ago, in the diversity of the most diverse genres and trends of St. Petersburg culture, the classics play a leading role.

Large-scale open-air classical art events, held on Palace Square in honor of City Day - the Founding Day of St. Petersburg, over the course of several years have turned into a vibrant cultural brand that attracts the attention of not only St. Petersburg residents, but also Russian and foreign tourists.

The audience of the “Classics on Dvortsovaya” show is growing every year, and it is expected that on May 27, the public concert of world opera and choreography will again gather over half a million spectators in rotation.

The program of the show, which has not been repeated once in five years, promises to be unique this time too: soloists of the leading opera stages of the world - La Scala, Covent Garden, Metropolitan Opera, Paris and Vienna Opera, including representatives of the national opera school, will perform exquisite classical works, ancient Neapolitan songs, fragments from famous operettas. It is especially valuable that it will not be banal, but, nevertheless, popular, light, effective and a classic that has long been loved by everyone. Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Puccini, Strauss, Gounod, Saint-Saëns, Lehar, Kalman - the works of these and other geniuses of classical art will be performed accompanied by the Mikhailovsky Theater Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mikhail Tatarnikov, as well as one of the best youth choirs of the city. The unchanging principle of “Classics on Dvortsovaya” is only live music and live sound.

Only stars are announced as performers. People's Artist of Russia, the unsurpassed Dmitry Hvorostovsky, will congratulate St. Petersburg on his birthday - immortal musical hits performed by the world opera headliner will once again be performed in the concert space of Palace Square. Together with him, world-famous performers who have not previously performed at St. Petersburg open-air will appear on stage: one of the leading tenors of our time, Argentinean Marcelo Alvarez; singer, in demand at the most prestigious opera stages, inimitable soprano and face of popular global brands Sonya Yoncheva; exquisite beauty, lyric soprano, American Danielle De Niese. This evening the golden voices of the Russian opera school will also be heard: the fiery and bright opera diva, guest soloist of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theaters Veronika Dzhioeva; soloist of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia, tenor Alexey Tatarintsev, unique in technique and beauty of sound; soloists of the Mariinsky Theater - melodic, expressive tenor Sergei Skorokhodov and deep, regal mezzo-soprano Yulia Matochkina.

The show's director and director of DANCE OPEN, Ekaterina Galanova, emphasized that this year “Classics on Dvortsovaya” will surprise with even greater entertainment. The director's idea, successfully implemented all these years, of turning each performance into a mini-performance - with luxurious costumes, full-fledged drama and artistic atmosphere - will be enhanced thanks to bright scenographic solutions.

Columns and other elements of stage structures will be covered with LED screens, which, thanks to video content unique to each act, will turn into living scenery. Flowers will bloom on the stage and dryads will dance, and after a few moments it will be transformed, and the artists will find themselves in the sun-drenched square of the ancient Spanish city... Numerous mirrors, erasing the horizons of virtual spaces, will create the effect of infinity of cultural and historical allusions appearing and disappearing against the background architectural dominant - the baroque facade of the Winter Palace.

What is happening on stage will be clearly visible thanks to five large LED video screens installed on Palace Square.

In total, over 200 square meters of video projection canvas will be used to create visual art effects in the square and on the stage.

As a gift to connoisseurs of the Dance Open ballet brand, the program of the classical evening includes fragments from choreographic masterpieces performed by top-level artists.

A special, truly St. Petersburg atmosphere, transporting the imagination to the era of festive assemblies, will be given to the evening by performances by artists from the Theater of Mister Pejot's Wandering Dolls.

The dance part of the show will be graced by artists of the St. Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theater named after Leonid Yakobson, flamenco masters of the dance company Ursula Lopez and the TODES show ballet. It is curious that in order to participate in the “Classics on Dvortsovaya”, the dancers of this unique troupe embarked on a real creative experiment: the highest plastic and acrobatic skills, which have long been a TODES brand feature, will be included in new, unusual musical content for the troupe.

The project will take place on the initiative of the Government of St. Petersburg with the support of the Committee for Culture of St. Petersburg.

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A circus parade with elephants on Nevsky Prospekt, a tightrope walker passing between the spans of the Palace Bridge, a concert of opera singers near the Hermitage, a bicycle parade and fireworks - "Paper" collected the main information about the celebration of City Day in St. Petersburg.

On Saturday, opera singers will perform at the Hermitage, and a tightrope walker will walk between the spans of the Palace Bridge

At one o'clock in the morning a classical music concert will take place at Admiralteyskaya. The program includes a performance by the Russian Horn Chapel and cellist Vadim Kaminsky. The concert is free.

From 11:00 to 14:00 there will be a parade of retro transport and motorcycles. The column will travel from Europe Square to Manezhnaya. A map of the movement of equipment can be viewed on the website.

From 21:00 to 23:00 the concert “Classics on Dvortsovaya” will take place. French singer Roberto Alagna, Mariinsky Theater soloist Alexey Markov, the Mikhailovsky Theater Symphony Orchestra, the Leonid Yakobson Academic Ballet Theater and the Todes ballet will perform there. Free admission.

The Singing Bridges show will begin at 11:30 p.m. A stage will be installed near the Palace Bridge where the Music Hall Theater orchestra will play Russian classics. At midnight the bridge will be raised and tightrope walker Rasul Abakarov will walk over it.

On Sunday, elephants will walk along Nevsky Prospect, and a concert will be held at the Peter and Paul Fortress

A big bike parade starts at 11:00 on May 27. The column will travel from the Oktyabrsky Concert Hall to the 300th Anniversary Park.

At 11:45 a citywide celebration will begin on the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress. IOWA, Tatyana Bulanova, Igor Kornelyuk and Irakli will perform there. A costume show based on the history of the city will be staged on the stage near the shore of the Kronverk Strait.

At 12:00 a circus parade with elephants will begin. The animals will walk along Nevsky Prospekt, Belinsky Square and perform circus tricks on Malaya Sadovaya Street.

From 12:30 to 14:00, a parade of drummers will take place from Ostrovsky Square along Nevsky Prospekt.

At 21:00 the group “Alice” will perform on Manezhnaya Square.

The metro will operate all night, and the Palace Bridge will be raised earlier than usual

On the night of May 27, the metro will operate all night. Because of the “Singing Bridges”, on the night of May 27, the Palace Bridge will be raised from 0:00 to 0:40, and then according to the schedule: from 1:10 to 2:50 and from 3:10 to 4:55.

There will be fireworks in the evening

Because of the holiday, Nevsky Prospekt, embankments and bridges in the city center will be closed

From 22:30 on May 26 to 1:00 on May 27, traffic on the Palace Bridge will be closed due to the “Singing Bridges”. In addition, from 13:00 on May 26 to 2:00 on May 27, the far right lane on Admiralteyskaya Embankment opposite building 2 will be closed.

From 10:00 to 17:30 on May 26, from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 18:00 to 20:00 on May 27, due to the “Ball of Nationalities”, Exchange Square will be closed in the direction of movement from the Palace Bridge towards Birzhevoy Bridge . In addition, on May 27, from 12:00 to 18:00, traffic on Birzhevaya Square will cease, and from 12:00 to 12:40 on Nevsky Prospect from Ostrovsky Square to Admiralteysky Prospekt, Dvortsovy Proezd, and Dvortsovy Bridge.

On May 27, from 13:00 to 16:00, due to the parade of drummers, traffic along Nevsky Prospect from Ostrovsky Square to the Griboyedov Canal embankment will be closed. From 20:00 on May 26 to 22:00 on May 27, the western passage of Ostrovsky Square from Nevsky Prospect to Krylov Lane will also be blocked. From 9:00 to 16:00 on May 27, traffic on Ostrovsky Square will be stopped.

From 11:00 to 13:00, due to the Great Bicycle Parade, traffic along Nevsky Prospekt, Universitetskaya Embankment and further along the direction of the column will be gradually blocked.

Due to the circus parade on May 27, traffic on the square and Belinsky Bridge will be closed from 11:30 to 12:10; from 12:00 to 12:35 - along the even side of the Fontanka River embankment from Belinsky Street to Nevsky; from 12:35 to 13:00 - along Nevsky from Fontanka to Sadovaya; from 13:00 to 13:25 - along Sadovaya from Nevsky to Inzhenernaya; from 13:20 to 13:40 - along Inzhenernaya from Sadovaya to Belinsky Square and along the square itself.

From 8:00 to 00:00 on May 26, due to the “Classics on Dvortsovaya” concert, traffic will be blocked on Millionnaya Street from Palace Square to Moshkov Lane, Pevchesky Proezd, the embankment of the Moika River from Pevchesky Proezd to Nevsky Prospekt.

According to legend, exactly 315 years ago, Peter the Great stamped his foot and ordered the construction of a city in the Neva delta. Many were hostile to his idea and did not believe that it would be possible to open a window to Europe on the marshy lands near the Gulf of Finland. But the emperor proved the opposite, and for several centuries St. Petersburg has delighted millions of people from all over the world.

When is City Day celebrated?

City Day in the Northern capital is celebrated every year on May 27, but a number of events dedicated to the solemn date will take place the day before. That is, we will have two whole free days when we can walk, enjoy the sun and the approaching summer.

Where to go on holidays?

By the end of May, the trees in St. Petersburg are already green, fountains are working, and festive decorations are visible everywhere. Even just walking the streets these days is a real pleasure. But it’s better not to limit yourself to a simple promenade, because there will be so many interesting things happening around!

Retro transport parade

If suddenly on Nevsky you see buses, trolleybuses and cars from the past, don’t be surprised - this is. On May 26, a column of rare cars will begin its triumphal journey along the central streets and avenues. Keep your camera ready, or even better, come after 15:00 to Inzhenernaya Street, where there will be a stop. Everyone will be able to look into the salon and take unusual pictures.

On May 27 at 12:00 it will start from all over Russia. A bright flash mob will take place, in which the singer IOWA and the dance group “Edelweiss” will take part. Also on holidays, a ship parade, a masquerade procession and a circus arts festival are planned.

Show "Singing Bridges"

When it gets dark, you can move closer to the water. On the night of May 27, the “Singing Bridges” show will be launched in St. Petersburg for the third time. It is expected that this year the crossings will be conducted to the music of Isaac Schwartz, a composer whose fame was brought to him by the melodies for the films “White Sun of the Desert,” “Star of Captivating Happiness,” and “The Brothers Karamazov.”

In honor of the Day, the city will be celebrated not with a recording, as is usually done, but with the accompaniment of a symphony orchestra.

Laying flowers to the Bronze Horseman

The holiday will be officially opened by the ceremony. Usually, the city's top officials and an honor guard participate in it, and ordinary citizens can only see the broadcast. But this year they want to open access to the Bronze Horseman to everyone, so be on Senate Square by 10:00.

Concert in the Peter and Paul Fortress

On May 27 at 12:00 a ceremonial shot will be fired from the bastion. It will symbolically open the festival, which will be held on the territory of Hare Island for the first time in recent years and will surprise the audience from the very first minutes. A costume show dedicated to the history of St. Petersburg will unfold on the stage in the form of a “Zenith plane”. He will be followed by Igor Kornelyuk and Tatyana Bulanova, and the headliners of the concert will be Irakli, the Pizza group and the disco tribe IOWA. The concert starts at 13:00, but you can come earlier - you won’t be bored.

Ice cream festival

Well, what would a holiday be without food! Come and eat ice cream on Saturday. At the festival you can try dozens of types of ice treats from different manufacturers, as well as take part in competitions, listen to music and just have a good time.

Show “Classics on Dvortsovaya”

Towards the end of the first day, the action will move to . In this beautiful open-air hall there will be a grand show for all residents and guests of St. Petersburg - “Classics on Palace Square”. The project involves stars of the Russian and world opera stage, ballet dancers, famous musicians and composers.

The concert starts at 21:00, admission is free.

Festive fireworks

The two anniversary days for St. Petersburg will end with a fireworks display. The first salvos will be fired at 23:00. An hour later, the torches of the Rostral Columns will light up.

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This year St. Petersburg celebrates the 315th anniversary of its founding. The main celebrations are planned for the weekend of May 26 and 27. According to legend, exactly 315 years ago, Peter the Great stamped his foot and ordered the construction of a city in the Neva delta. Many were hostile to his idea and did not believe that it would be possible to open a window to Europe on the marshy lands near the Gulf of Finland. But the emperor proved the opposite, and for several centuries St. Petersburg has delighted millions of people from all over the world.

For several days, St. Petersburg residents and guests of the Northern capital will be able to attend festive events in the historical center of the city, which will take place in the best theater and concert halls, on the streets, in parks and squares.

City Day of St. Petersburg 2018 May 26: event plan

Festival "Motostolitsa"

The second international festival “Motostolitsa” will be held from May 25 to 27 on Manezhnaya Square. It brings together motorcyclists of all genres, representatives of club motorcycle culture, guests of the Northern capital and ordinary citizens who are in love with motorcycles.

As part of the festival, spectators will see performances, a grand parade of retro technology and a unique attraction “Ball of Courage”. For the first time this year, the music and dance battle StreetDance and the RHCcustom-rally “Russian Sotka” engine show will be held.

Where: Manezhnaya Square

Ice cream festival

One of the central squares of the city will turn into a large sports and entertainment ice cream park. The festival will include a sports competition, a festive concert and entertainment program, in which vocal and dance groups, as well as circus performers, will take part. A special interactive program will be organized for children.

Where: Ostrovsky Square

"Classics on Dvortsovaya"

The gala concert “Classics on Dvortsovaya” has become an integral part of the City Day celebrations; the show annually surprises guests with its uniqueness. This year it will be held for the sixth time.

Famous representatives of the Russian opera school will perform on the stage near the Winter Palace. Those who come to Palace Square will be able to enjoy the grandeur of classical works, the charm of ancient Neapolitan songs and famous operettas.

Where: Palace Square

"Singing Bridges"

Half an hour before midnight, a light and music performance accompanied by a symphony orchestra will begin on Admiralteyskaya Embankment. The musicians will perform popular and beloved melodies by St. Petersburg and Leningrad composers.

Where: Admiralteyskaya Embankment, Palace Bridge, Neva Water Area

Rope walker performance

A tightrope walker will walk over the open spans of the Palace Bridge

This time, the “Singing Bridges” show program will not be limited to just the opening of the crossing. Rasul Abakarov, a famous hereditary tightrope walker, a representative of the family of Dagestan tightrope walkers, will walk on a tightrope across the raised Palace Bridge. The artist's performance will be accompanied by live classical music.

Where: Palace Bridge

Laying flowers to the Bronze Horseman

From year to year, the official part of the holiday remains unchanged. The ceremony of laying flowers at the Bronze Horseman, installed on Senate Square, will begin at 10:00. The event is attended by the city's top officials and an honor guard.

Where: Senate Square

Concert in the Peter and Paul Fortress

At 12:00 a ceremonial shot will be fired from the bastion of the Peter and Paul Fortress. He will symbolically open the holiday, which will take place on the territory of Hare Island.

A costume show dedicated to the history of St. Petersburg will take place on stage. He will be followed by Igor Kornelyuk and Tatyana Bulanova, and the headliners of the concert will be Irakli, the Pizza group and the disco tribe IOWA.

Where: Peter and Paul Fortress

Great bike parade

Several thousand St. Petersburg residents and city guests will take part in the large-scale bicycle parade. At the finish line, cyclists will enjoy interactive entertainment and children's competitions.

The event will include a bicycle market and an exhibition of retro and custom bicycles. Free bicycle workshops, test drives of unusual bicycles, and outdoor games will be organized for guests.

Where: from the Oktyabrsky Concert Hall to the 300th Anniversary Park

Ball of Nationalities

The Ball of Nationalities annually confirms the status of St. Petersburg as the multinational capital of Russia. The festive event will begin with the Parade of Nationalities along Nevsky Prospekt. A theatrical program will unfold in the waters of the Neva with the participation of representatives of various national diasporas.

The program includes folk dancing, displays of clothing collections, arts and crafts, playing musical instruments, as well as master classes on national crafts.

Carnival procession of the circus arts festival

The Circus on Fontanka told about the route of elephants that will take to the streets on St. Petersburg’s birthday

The largest circus arts festival will take place from May 24 to 27. Circus performers from 20 countries will demonstrate their amazing performances: Russia, China, North Korea, Germany, Italy, Norway and other parts of the world.

Famous circus performers, trained animals, including the famous circus elephants, will take part in the carnival procession through the city center on May 27.

Where: Embankment of the Fontanka River near Belinsky Square - Nevsky Prospekt

Parade of drummers and brass bands

The most titled groups and orchestras of drummers, percussionists and majorette orchestras from 40 Russian regions will show their capabilities on the main street of St. Petersburg.

At the end of the show parade, a new record will be set in the category “The most massive simultaneous performance of percussion instruments in Russia.” The musicians will simultaneously play a composition that was specially written for this festive event.

In addition, at the end of the parade, participants and spectators will create a live hashtag #315SPb in a large-scale festive flash mob.

Where: Ostrovsky Square - Nevsky Prospekt

Descent of the battleship "Poltava"

A replica of the battleship Poltava will be ceremoniously launched at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club. Admission is by ticket, the number of spectator seats is limited, but an online broadcast will be organized on the websites of the yacht club and the historical Poltava shipyard.

The ship "Poltava" is the first battleship of the Baltic Fleet. The ship was named in honor of the victory of Russian troops in the Battle of Poltava. Poltava was built at the Admiralty shipyards and launched in June 1712. Peter I personally took part in the design and construction of the ship. Construction of a replica of the battleship Poltava began in 2013.

Where: st. Beregovaya 19A

"Leningrad Songs"

The “Leningrad Songs” concert at the Oktyabrsky Concert Hall is also timed to coincide with City Day. Mikhail Boyarsky, Vasily Gerello, Methodie Buzhor, Irina Bogacheva, Svetlana Kryuchkova, VIA “Singing Guitars”, Igor Kornelyuk, Edita Piekha, Oleg Gazmanov, Alexander Rosenbaum and others will appear on stage.

Where: Oktyabrsky Concert Hall

Festive fireworks

At the end of the City Day celebrations, the sky over the historical center of St. Petersburg will be lit up with colorful fireworks. The launch site will be the beach of the Peter and Paul Fortress.

Where: Peter and Paul Fortress beach

The most significant events - the "Classics on Palace Square" concert, the "Singing Bridges" show, the ceremony at the monument to Peter I, the "Leningrad Songs" concert and the festive fireworks - will be shown live on the St. Petersburg TV channel.

City Day of St. Petersburg 2018 May 26: On City Day, elephants will walk through the center of St. Petersburg

The costume parade will begin at 12:00.

On Sunday, May 27, a circus parade will take place in St. Petersburg. Its participants, together with elephants, will walk along the central streets of St. Petersburg. This was reported by the press service of the Ciniselli Circus.

Four female elephants will take part in the parade. The costume procession starts at 12:00 from the Ciniselli Circus building on the Fontanka. The column will pass along the Belinsky Bridge, the embankment of the Fontanka River, along Nevsky Prospect to Mikhailovskaya Street, and then through Arts Square will return to the circus building.

The parade will conclude the 1st International Festival of Circus Arts “On the Fontanka”. It will take place from May 24 to 27, 2018. The festival is timed to coincide with City Day and the anniversary, 140th season of the circus. Creative groups from Russia, China, North Korea, Ukraine, Germany, Portugal, Belgium, and Turkmenistan will perform at the arena.

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This weekend, May 26 and 27, 2018, the city on the Neva celebrates its 315th birthday. Many events for City Day in the Northern capital are traditional - this is an ice cream festival, a ball of nationalities and a classical music concert on Palace Square. In 2018, the authorities have planned new events, no less bright and solemn.

Thus, in honor of the celebration of City Day in St. Petersburg in 2018, a large-scale bicycle parade will take place, which will block the city center on the morning of May 27. On May 27, circus performers will also march through the center - the procession of theatergoers, accompanied by live elephants, promises to be especially large-scale.

Equally bright events await citizens and guests in the coming hours - a classical music concert with the participation of invited opera stars will take place on Palace Square, and the Singing Fountains show will start at night - the light and music action will end with the passage between the wings of the raised Palace Bridge of a truly professional, and even hereditary tightrope walker

Classics on Palace Square 2018 - what will be presented to the public, who will perform

The concert, which starts at 21.00, promises to amaze with the number of professionals taking to the stage, bright decorations, excellent sound quality and mesmerizing ballet performances.

The action will last two hours - until 23.00, respectively.

The tradition of holding open-air concerts exists in many cities around the world and in Russia in particular. In St. Petersburg, the show is always different from others, because the city is congratulated on its birthday not just by stars, but by world stars of classical singing, the website reports. Both connoisseurs and simple onlookers who want to understand and feel the full power of the event try to join in the action.

At one time, it was here, at the “Classics on Dvortsovaya” concert, that for many years in a row one could hear the world-famous Russian performer Dmitry Hvorostovsky. The last time he sang here was last year, in May 2017, and in November he was taken on his last journey, because the singer was terminally ill. Anna Netrebko, a friend of Hvorostovsky’s harsh days and also a star of Russian and world opera, is also a regular at Classics on the Palace, but this year the concert will take place without her.

Despite the absence of the main headliners, the concert program will once again surprise fans of classical art with the versatility of the repertoire and the charismatic performance of masterpieces by Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Bizet, Verdi, Gounod, Strauss and other great composers.

The stars of the evening will be a brilliant duet of stars of the world opera stage.

He is an outstanding tenor of our time, a bold experimenter and the owner of a truly Sicilian character. Music lovers around the world pronounce his name in the same breath as Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti.

She is the Polish “queen of improvisation” with the talent of a dramatic actress, the owner of an inimitably light soprano voice and simply a favorite of audiences around the world.

Together they are Roberto Alagna and Alexandra Kurzhak, a bright creative and married couple, and “Classics on Dvortsovaya” is their debut open-air in Russia.

This evening, St. Petersburg residents and guests of the city will be able to enjoy another magnificent soprano: winner of the BBC “Singer of the World” award Valentina Nafornitsa will take part in the open-air on Dvortsovaya for the second time. In 2015, the square applauded the brilliant duet of Valentina and Dmitry Hvorostovsky.

The real highlight of the Classics 2018 program will be the performers whose skills and talent are in demand at the most prestigious opera stages in the world. The golden voices of the Russian opera school will congratulate St. Petersburg on its 315th anniversary: Venera Gimadieva, Alexey Markov, Oksana Volkova, Pavel Kolgatin, Alexey Tikhomirov Alexander Trofimov.

The dance part of the show will be graced by soloists of the Bolshoi and Mikhailovsky theaters and the ballet of Alla Dukhova "TODES", ballet dancers of the Leonid Yakobson Theater. Premiere performance of the dance and sports club " DUET", the current world champion in Latin American dance, will spice up the “Classics” program with unbridled expression and mesmerizing synchronicity of performance.

Let us note that “Classics on the Palace” began its history five years ago, in 2013, and has become a good tradition for celebrating City Day in St. Petersburg.

You can also watch the concert on the Kultura TV channel and online on the Internet.

Traffic closure in St. Petersburg on May 26

The concert, which will last about two hours, will undoubtedly be an excellent culmination of the first day of the city's anniversary celebration. At the same time, some inconvenience awaits the townspeople - the classic will block the center of St. Petersburg for motorists, because countless people usually gather for a free concert.

By the way, this year “Classics” is also a decoration at the end of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum - a large-scale event with the participation of professionals from all over the world.

Motorists should be aware that the city center will be closed to traffic and plan their route due to traffic restrictions.

• Millionnaya Street from Palace Square to Moshkov Lane;
• Pevchesky passage;
• embankment of the Moika River from Pevchesky Proezd to Nevsky Prospekt.

By the way, sudden traffic jams have been observed in St. Petersburg for several days now, since May 24 - residents are sure that the traffic closures are associated with the passage of motorcades of forum participants.